The Marked One
by OwlDuchess
Summary: Dean Winchester sends his daughter back in time to the night the angels fall to save her from the demons who hunt her.
1. Chapter 1

The brothers and Cas stood watching the night sky. The image of heavens angels falling from the sky would be burned in their memory forever. There was no time to pause, as they became aware of a blinding light behind them.

"What the…." Dean began, shielding his eyes from the light. From the little he could see, he could swear that he could see something, or someone coming through the portal. He grabbed his gun, and Sam, seeing his brothers face, grabbed the demon knife.

A second later, and Dean was proved right.

A girl with sandy blonde hair to her waist was crouched on the floor, gun in each hand. She looked at the brothers, her eyes filled with confusion. She turned to look at Cas, her face falling.

"Oh crap" She began, her crisp British accent audible.

"Who the hell are you?" Dean asked, still pointing the gun. She dropped hers to the ground instinctively, and stood up. Dean noticed that she was looking at him, almost as if she knew him.

"I…I…. I cant tell you." She stuttered.

"You can't tell me? That does not fill me with confidence, gotta say" He replied.

"Dean, please…. please just put the gun away" She continued, turning her face away as if the sight were terrifying to her. Given she'd come in yielding two of them herself he gathered that wasn't really the problem. Something was…. off here. He walked toward her, taking a closer look.

"I, I wouldn't if I were you. You might not like what you see" She continued, still attempting to look anywhere but directly at him.

"Why wont you look at me? And how did you know my name?" He asked.

"I, I told you….I cant tell you"

He placed his hand under her chin, forcing her to look at him.

As he looked at her, he was overcome with a feeling similar to Deja'vu, not that he believed in that crap. No that wasn't it. As he kept looking, he was filled with a sense of…. familiarity. The eyes, the hair… the freckles.

In that split second, it clicked.

His eyes.

His hair.

His freckles.

"No way" He began, now stepping back.

"Dean, what is it?" Sam asked.

"Hi Dad" She began, realising that lying was now pointless. "I'm Celeste, your first and only daughter"

"Wait, what?" Sam began.

"Uncle Sammy. Cas" She continued, an awkwardness present in her voice when saying the fallen angels name.

"Prove it" Dean spoke.

"What?"

"If you are…" he began, "who you…. Claim to be, prove it" He continued, calmly. He was surprised by his own calmness, given that he was potentially looking at his future kid.

"You asked Cas here to wipe Lisa and Bens minds of your existence because you thought it was best that they'd never met you, and it absolutely kills you, everyday to think that they have no clue about you ever being a part of their lives"

"Guess that confirms it" Sam spoke.

"Why would I ever tell you that?"

"You didn't. Cas did"

"So, you know Cas as well?" Sam began.

"You could say that" She answered, shuffling her feet. Her awkwardness did not go unnoticed.

"Why do you become uncomfortable at the mention of my name?" Cas asked, head cocked slightly to one side.

"Erm, no reason…" She replied, realising she was in fact, the worlds worst liar.

"Does Cas do something in the future, to you… to us?" Sam asked, worry filling his face at the idea that now human Cas might not stick to the straight and narrow.

"No!" She practically shouted. "You've got it all wrong…."

"Then put us right" Dean spoke.

She took a few steps closer to Cas, and lifted up her left hand. On her forefinger was a sizeable Diamond wedding band.

"We're married. Or, at least we were, this has officially screwed up the timeline"

She looked at Cas. She wanted him to comfort her, to kiss her and tell her it would all be fine. She wanted her Cas, from her future. This Cas was somehow a stranger to her.

"Oh my God" Sam began. "You're daughter, my niece, marries Cas?"

"How is that even possible? And how old are you anyway?" Dean asked, his mind drowning in figuring it all out.

"Im twenty eight. We've been married for three years"

"What the hell happens to me in the future that makes me agree to you two getting married?" He continued.

"Mum"

"And another thing, why are you British?" Sam asked.

"Two guesses"

"Ok, so…."

"Enough with the questions. I would like to salvage what is left of my timeline. The more I tell you, the more screwed up it gets"

"How did we meet?" Cas asked.

"So not the time Cas"

"I think it's the perfect time Dean. She is my future wife after all"

"Given that that timeline no longer exists, I guess this is where we meet?" She replied, blushing a little.

"How did I propose?" He continued, fascinated by this turn of events.

"Cas!" Dean spoke, letting him know this was not a conversation he wanted to hear.

"Why are you here?"

"You sent me here."

"Why?"

"So they wouldn't find me"

"So who wouldn't find you?"

"The demon hunters. They want me dead. I wasn't supposed to end up here though, we weren't supposed to meet."

"Demon hunters? As in demons who hunt humans- actually, hunt?"

"Specifically, me. Seems God has a thing about our family. First it was Uncle Sammy and the demon blood, then it was the whole Lucifer/Michael thing, …. Now it's my turn."

"Its not demon blood is it? Tell me it's not demon blood"

"No, it's not demon blood."

"Then what?"

She pushed up the sleeves on her long black V neck sweater. Her arms were covered in the most intricate tattoo style markings he'd ever seen, similar to the sort of markings found on a Jin, only incredibly beautiful and on closer inspection, laced with strange symbols. She pushed up her footless tights also, revealing the same markings running down the sides of both legs. Cas traced over them lightly with his fingers.

"So I'm guessing those aren't tattoos?" Dean spoke


	2. Chapter 2

_Authors note_

_This fic is proving more popular than I'd imagined, thank you so much for the reviews/faves/follows!_

"You'd be right." She replied, her heartbeat racing at Cas's touch. As his fingers traced over her skin, she looked into his eyes for the first time since she'd got here. Even here, and now they were the same perfect inky blue that she loved.

"Wow. Our family really is cursed"

"Dean…" Sam began.

"You should be a normal, happy kid who knows jack squat about hunting, demons… angels! I wanted this to end with me, I never wanted any family I might be lucky enough to have to be dragged into this life"

"I know, but sometimes we don't get to choose. Life's a bitch"

He looked at her.

"What? You taught me that I'll have you know."

"What else did I teach you, it's not all bad right?"

She laughed.

"No, though you gave up trying to teach me American sports when I was about eight. Any kind of sport actually…."

"Listen, we should probably head back to the bunker for now"

"The Men of Letters bunker? I love that place. You brought me a couple of times when I was younger"

"Really?"

"Safest place to leave us whilst you… y'know"

"So I still hunt?"

"Yes, but it's not like it was for you two growing up. You didn't want that for me, So you put me in boarding school to keep me safe and out of the life"

"Boarding school? I put my kid in boarding school- what am I, a millionaire?"

"No. You married into a wealthy Hunter family though…."

"So your Mom is a hunter?"

"Born and bred, literally. Mums family have been hunting since forever, but they made a lot of money in business early on in order to appear respectable and all."

Some time later, they arrived at the bunker. The familiarity of it comforted her a little, but she still felt weird. Here she was, with her Dad and Uncle when they were her age, and Cas who had no idea who she was, no Idea of the connection they shared, the future they had.

She sat down on the couch as the brothers headed off to find out if there were any books that might be of use. She'd combed the place with a fine tooth comb in her own time but had never found anything to explain her markings, or what any of the symbols meant. She only knew that demons seemed to want her dead because of them, and that they'd all rather be tortured than tell her why.

Cas sat next to her.

"This must be very strange for you"

"Yeah. I'm hanging out with my dad and my uncle when they are my age and you…."

She caught herself looking into those inky blues again.

"and you who looks exactly the same, not that that's a surprise…."

"But surely I am older in your time?"

"Technically yes, but your presence in Jimmys body fundamentally altered the DNA on a cellular level. You don't age Cas, not physically anyway."

"Oh. Anything else I should know?"

"Cas, there's so much… so much I want to tell you, I'm just afraid…." She began, stopping to consider her thoughts. As she did, she noticed Cas's hand had found its way on to hers. His touch always calmed her, made her feel normal when she felt like a freak. He pushed her sleeve up, gently and slowly, as if he instinctively knew how self conscious she was of her markings. She always wore long sleeves, and was somewhat grateful to be born in a country where that was a necessity most of the time anyway. He cocked his head to the side the way he always did when he was thinking about something. She couldn't help but smile, he looked adorable.

"Do they hurt?"

"No, but they feel strange whenever I'm near a demon. I can't explain it exactly, but they just seem to react somehow. Sometimes I can sense a demon is nearby just by the feeling I get "

"I've never seen anything like them, not in the thousands of years of my existence. But I must say, I find them beautiful"

Her heart caught in her mouth. Her mind went back five years when they were in the early stages of their relationship. They were sat in living room of her Mums family home, and she had allowed him to see the markings fully, for the first time.

"_I've never seen anything like them, not in the thousands of years of my existence. But I must say, I find them beautiful" _Were the exact words he'd said to her then, followed by their first kiss.

As she filtered back to the present, she realised Cas was looking at her, awaiting a response with the same puppy eyed look that had made her fall in love with him In the first place. She wanted to lean in, kiss that soft, gentle mouth but she held back. This was Cas's first day as a human being. She knew it was going to take him some time to understand the more subtle aspects of human interaction. She didn't want to go diving in to the deep end. No matter how much her body screamed otherwise.

"Are you Ok?"

"Yes, sorry it's just….. that was the exact same thing you said to me, when we first….started dating" she spoke, deciding it was best to leave the kiss out for now.

"It would seem the events are destined to play out, one way or another"

She wanted nothing more than for their story to begin again, here and now. But she felt guilty somehow, for wanting something that he had no idea about. In her time, he'd come to terms with his humanity, his destiny. He'd only just fallen in this time, and she knew he needed time to adjust, to find his way.

"Cas, I just want you to know that….I know you aren't my husband in this time. Hell, you don't know the first thing about m. I don't expect you to… fall in love with me or something. You need time, to adjust to this….. being human, finding your way, your purpose. That has to come first, Ok?" As she said it, she could feel a lump in her throat, and tears forming in her eyes. She refused to let anyone see her cry, so she hurried back to the room she'd decided was hers, bumping into the brothers on her way.

"Cas, what did you do?" Dean asked.

"She's upset. She is finding it difficult to be around me"

"I should go talk to her" Sam offered.

"No, I'll do it" Dean replied.

"But you hate talking, especially about feelings, and with girls"

"This is different Sammy. She's my kid, or will be soon…. I guess."

"Ok, just don't screw it up"

He walked over to the room where he'd seen her heading. The door was open. He pushed it open lightly, and saw her sat in the chair, legs curled underneath, arms wrapped around one of the old cushions.

"Thought for sure you'd send Sammy"

"I'm not incapable of talking about feelings you know"

"I know."

"So…."

"This is hard, really hard. I'm with my dad and my uncle, who happen to be the same age as me and have no clue about me. I'm also stuck with my future husband who has just fallen from Heaven and has no clue about being a human being, and being in love….with me"

"We'll figure out how to send you back"

"Back to what? A future where I might not even exist? What if I cant go back and I'm stuck here!"

"That wont happen, I promise. We will get you back, to your own future, to Cas" he replied, forcing himself to say the last part.

"Don't worry, you were just as freaked out by it in my time. It took you a while to come around. There's something you need to know, about Cas"

"What?"

"He doesn't age. That's exactly how he looks on our wedding day, and everyday after that. So to the untrained eye, we look like a normal couple."

"But what about you, you'll age?"

"Sure, but I'll worry about that later. Right now, or then…I just wanted to be with him, and that's it"

She stood up and hugged him. He drew her in tight, not wanting to let her go. Her presence was definitely waking up his paternal instincts somehow. He kissed her on the head before allowing his arms to fall to his sides.

"I'll leave you to sleep, Ok?"

"Thank you, you're much better at this then you think y'know" she smiled.

As she pulled back the covers and got in to bed, she realised that this was the first night she'd slept alone in a long time, and she didn't like it. She missed his presence, him stroking her hair until she fell asleep. She missed him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Flashback_

"I'm really proud of you, I know how self-conscious you get but believe me, you look beautiful" Her mum spoke.

It was her wedding day.

She'd decided six months ago that she didn't want to cover up on this day of all days, so she'd made the decision to wear a sleeveless dress, leaving her arms and shoulders bare. Her mother knew just how much courage it had taken to go through with it. She stood in front of the full length mirror in her bedroom. She had to admit, she felt confident. Her long sandy blonde hair was perfectly curled, and her green eyes were even more striking than usual thanks to the perfectly applied eye liner and shadow. And the dress… white silk. It had a corset style top, with silver embroidery almost as intricate as her markings. The bottom half flowed perfectly from the waist, with just a small train. She'd never liked fussy dresses with long veils and trains.

The door opened. Dean stood just outside.

"You can come in Dad" she smiled, turning round to face him.

He walked right in and pulled her close to him.

"You look so beautiful. I can't believe this is the day" He began. Dean Winchester wasn't known for getting emotional, but even he was giving in to that side of himself, buried deep under his tough hunter exterior.

"I'll see you soon" Her mum smiled, kissing her lightly on the cheek before making her way to the garden where the ceremony was taking place.

"Ready?" Dean asked.

"Ready" she replied.

He took her arm and led her out of the room and down the main staircase. They turned right, heading for the main exit out to the garden.

She paused, turning to him.

"Thank you" she spoke.

He looked at her. It had taken a long time for him to come around to the idea, but seeing her this happy reassured him he'd made the right choice.

They reached the doors, and stepped out into the garden. The guests all stood, and turned. Some gasps were heard as they saw her, but she'd been expecting that. Everyone here knew of her markings, but few had seen them. As they got closer to the front, her heart began to race wildly. She could see him now, looking even more handsome in his suit. He hadn't really worn one since his fall from Heaven, as it reminded him too much of his former life. She'd missed that, if anyone made a suit look good it was Cas. His hair was perfectly bed head messy, she'd given him strict instructions to leave it that way.

They had reached the front. Dean reluctantly let her go, taking his seat next to his wife.

"You look beautiful" Cas smiled, taking her hands. He'd always loved her markings. Her desire to keep them constantly covered bothered him a little, though he respected her choice and would never say so. He was so glad that today, she had chosen to share a little more of herself with him, and the people closest to them.

The ceremony seemed to pass in a haze, which she out down to nerves. She was terrified of forgetting the words, her vows, or repeating the parts she was meant to. She was almost glad when the final words were spoken.

"I do"

Cas lifted the veil from her face, and leaned in to kiss his now wife. He placed his hands gently on her waist, pulling her in just a little. As his lips met hers, cheers erupted from the guests, and a smile spread across both their faces. They broke off the kiss, and turned to face their guests.

"Ready Mr Winchester?" she teased. Since Castiel didn't technically have last name, they'd decided he'd take the Winchester name.

He took her hand and led her down the aisle, with the guests following.

"I love you" she whispered as they made their way into the large reception room.

"I love you too" he replied, squeezing her hand gently.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a knock at the door. She looked at her watch, it was . Not that she'd been sleeping but still, it was kind of late. She got up and opened the door. A familiar pair of inky blue eyes stared back at her.

"Can I come in?" He asked in his polite, formal way.

She opened the door, and sat down on the bed. She was surprised when he walked past the chair and sat next to her.

"I can't sleep."

"You've never had to. You'll get the hang of it, promise"

"You were also not sleeping?"

"Yeah. I, well I haven't slept by myself since…." She replied, trailing off at the end.

He moved from the edge of the bed, and positioned himself next to where she'd been lying down.

"You don't…" She began, touched by the simple gesture.

"I know." He replied, eyes fixed on her.

She moved, laying back down where she'd been trying to sleep. Even him just being there, it seemed to help.

"Lay down. You cant fall asleep sat up you know"

He followed her instruction, and lay down on his side, facing her. She let out a small laugh, remembering the first time he'd slept next to her. He hadn't shared a bed with anyone else, and she had to explain that most people wouldn't sleep facing their partner, as it was hard trying to sleep knowing someone was looking at you.

"Am I doing it wrong?" He asked.

"No" she replied, turning on to her other side. She became aware that he had moved closer, and his hand was touching her hair, stroking it lightly. It made her shiver slightly, and her mind flooded with memories of all the times they'd laid down just like this. She suddenly then became aware that he'd stopped.

"Why did you stop?"

"Dean tells me I do not observe the rules of personal space very well. I thought I was breaking the rule. I didn't want to upset you"

"It's fine, I actually like it."

As he resumed stroking her hair, tiredness set in and soon, they were both asleep.

"What the hell Cas?"

An angry Dean bursting in to her room awakened her from her sleep. For a second she forgot where she was and had no idea why he'd be in here. Then it hit her. Last night.

"Dean, it's fine- Cas was having trouble sleeping so he came to talk…"

"Yeah looks like a lot of talking went on here!"

"Nothing happened and even if it did I'm twenty eight years old!" She replied, heading out of the room and down the hall. He looked at Cas, who looked as confused as ever, before deciding to leave it. He followed her down the hall to the kitchen where Sam had just made coffee.

"Dean, everything ok?" Sam asked, knowing full well it wasn't.

"It's fine" he replied.

"Ok then" Sam replied, not really wanting to get in to a fight this early In the morning. He watched as the two of them poured coffee, they even did that exactly the same, both opting to drink it black. He smiled, it was kind of sweet.

"Whats so funny?" Dean replied.

"Nothing" Sam smiled, taking a sip of his own coffee.

"Morning" Cas spoke, walking in to the kitchen taking a seat next to Sam.

The silence was interrupted by the dropping of a coffee mug.

"Sorry, I'll clean that up" She muttered, rubbing her arms.

"Wait" Cas instructed, and she did.

"There's a demon nearby, isn't there"? He asked.

"How could you know that, you're not an angel anymore" Dean replied.

"I am aware. But Celeste's markings seem to give her a warning when a demon is nearby, that is why she dropped the mug"

"Is that true?"

"Yes, they get kind of….. I don't know how to describe it. " She replied, protectively crossing her arms across her chest.

"We should check it out" Sam said.

"You two stay here, ok?" Dean replied, grabbing the demon knife off the kitchen side.

"Fine" she said, sweeping up the broken ceramic mug into the trash can.

As they exited the bunker, it didn't take them long to run into a demon.

"Sam and Dean Winchester…the early years!" He laughed. "God you're just as sorry a sight in this timeline as you are in hers. Now, just hand her over and we'll be on our way"

"So, demons are just as stupid in the future as they are now!" Dean replied. "I'm not handing her over to you, now or ever!"

"How sweet, your paternal instincts have kicked in. Too bad it wont be enough to save her"

"Why do you want her anyway? Why her?"

"That's a closely guarded secret. Im on orders not to tell you"

"Orders, from who?"

"That would be telling. I'll tell you this much though… She's the final piece of the puzzle" He smiled. "Tell you what, I'll give you boys a head start, see if you can't figure a little something out. I'd personally start by asking why that angel is so enamoured with her. I'll be back, don't think I won't" He replied, before disappearing.

"Ok, that was weird" Sam spoke. "He could have attacked us, tormented us….. but he gives us time to figure stuff out?"

"Future demons. Stupid and weird. C'mon, lets get back inside"

As they headed back inside, Dean saw the two of them sat at the table, drinking what was left of the coffee. Even from this distance they looked like a couple, even though they weren't together. They just looked…. Right somehow, however much he didn't want to acknowledge it.

"Are you ok?" She asked.

"Yeah. We're fine"

"The demon, what did he look like?"

"Tall, long black coat- British"

"Azrael. That bastard has been after me since forever but he's sly, never gets his hands dirty. He knows why they're all after me, but he never tells. Believe me, I've tried to get it out of him."

"He said something, about…. You two."

"What?"

"He said we should start by figuring out why Cas is so enamoured with you, his words, not mine"

"That's just low, typical demon. What's Cas got to do with any of this? This happened before we got together"

"Well he seems to think, or at least wants us to think it's connected somehow"

"I don't see how"

Dean wasn't exactly one for believing what came out of the mouth of a demon. But Azrael, what he'd said… he couldn't shake the feeling that something was there.

"Look, lets just check the books, in case we missed something, Ok?"

"Ok" She replied.

An hour in, and as she predicted they'd found nothing. She was just about to head to the kitchen to grab some beers when Cas spoke up.

"I believe I have found something"

"Ok?" Dean replied. "What?"

Cas took her arm, and pushed her sleeve up. He looked up and down for a few moments, until he found the symbol he was looking for.

"There, you see?"

He pointed to two stars, one normal and one inverted. They were positioned one above the other, with the inverted one on the bottom. Joining them was a small circle.

"It's one of the earliest depictions of Heaven, Earth and Hell in balance. It say's here that this symbol was created when things were, in alignment, so to speak, with Heavens doors opened, and the gates of Hell closed. It represents things as they should be"

"But, wasn't that all kinda dealt with by the tablets, the trials? I mean, I know things didn't go to plan but if they had….What I mean is, things had been screwed up for a long time when Celeste was born, and she comes in to the world bearing a symbol that supposedly means everythings ok?" Dean replied.

"Or a symbol that makes everything Ok…" She added.

"What, so one little symbol is gonna fix this mess? And what about the rest?"

"Maybe, who knows? I have no idea, but we have a starting point which is more than I had before"

"I'm gonna see if I can find it online anywhere, check if anyone else has ever seen it, Ok?" Sam said, heading to the table where the laptop was sat.

"Can I talk to you?" Dean questioned, looking right at her.

"Sure" She replied, heading away from the kitchen and down the hall. They entered one of the main libraries.

"Listen. I'm glad we got one of those symbols figured out, but I don't want you getting your hopes up that one symbol is gonna fix this mess?"

"But what is it does? What if I'm the key to fixing everything?"

"No, that's not gonna happen. Sammy nearly died because he thought he was the key to fixing things with the demon trials, I'm not gonna let you do the same!"

"So you'd rather what, sweep the mess under the carpet and forget about it? Bit late for that!"

"There's always another way. I've done this long enough to know that"

"This is not some demon problem you make go away Dean! This is Heaven, Earth and Hell- it's everything! There are fallen angels walking the earth, Demons taking over every vessel they can find and souls…..well who knows what's happening to peoples souls anymore! If I have even the slightest chance of fixing things, I'm doing it!" She replied angrily, heading back down the hallway.

"You realise what'll happen if you fix everything, right?" He replied, making her stop dead in her tracks.

No.

She hadn't thought about that, until now. _Shit._

She could feel her eyes beginning to sting. She raced past Sam and Cas and headed outside.

"Wait!" Dean shouted, hearing the door slam.

As she left the bunker and headed up the road, she stopped once again. She rubbed her eyes, and turned.

"Azrael" She began.

"Celeste" He replied. "My my, whats wrong, fight with daddy dearest?"

"Screw you!" She replied, taking angry steps toward him.

"So, I take it you and the boys have made some headway?"

"Nothing you couldn't have told me years ago Azrael. Why make me wait, come here to this time, to figure out one little symbol?"

"Because, this timeline is the whole point. It wouldn't have been nearly as fun for you to discover this in our time Celeste"

"Why?"

He'd gone. Typical demon, skipping out at the most inconvenient of times.

"Bastard!" She shouted angrily at the sky.

She headed back inside.


	5. Chapter 5

"Everything Ok?"

"Fine" She lied, not wanting to discuss Azraels latest appearance.

"So I have a possible lead. There's a professor at Oxford whose heading up a research project on a whole bunch of symbols, including yours. Figured you and Cas could go talk to him, see what he knows. " Sam spoke, gesturing to the site he was looking at on the laptop.

"Why me and Cas?" She questioned, wondering how he'd convinced Dean of the pairing.

"Dean and I have a job a couple states over that we need to take care of, so we figured we'd send you two across the pond to look into this, whilst we take care of business"

"What pond are you referring to?" Cas asked.

"It's a colloquialism used to describe The Atlantic" She replied.

"I see."

"A colloquialism?" Sam asked.

"Best to be specific when explaining these things to him" She smiled, looking over her shoulder at him.

"I'm not an angel anymore, how are we going to get there?" Cas asked.

"Don't worry, I've got it covered" She smiled.

"We're heading out now, meet back here in three days, OK?"

"Three days? It'll take us half of that to fly there and back!" She protested.

Dean headed out of his room, bag in hand.

"Sam told you the plan?"

"Yeah. Guess I'll see you in three days" She replied.

"Be careful, Ok?" He spoke.

"I'll be fine."

"First sign of trouble, you get your ass on a flight back here, you understand?"

"Got it, now go, we'll be fine"

He hugged her briefly, before heading out of the bunker with Sam.

"I suppose we should go to the airport now" He spoke, standing up.

"I'm not spending nine hours on a flight Cas. Allow me to introduce you to the best thing from the future" She smiled.

She took his hand and recited words in a language unfamiliar to him. He was forced to close his eyes as everything around him became blurred by an overly bright light, and a sense of falling took over his entire body making him nauseous.

In a few seconds, it was all over.

"What just happened?" He asked, still feeling a little unsteady.

"Welcome to Oxford" She smiled, turning them around to look at the vast collection of beautiful buildings that made up the main campus.

"But how did we…?"

"Demon trick, it's about the only useful thing I ever got out of one. Most of the time they're frustratingly silent on such things"

"Then why not use it to go home?"

"I can't. It only works to cover large distances in the same time. It also puts your body through great physical strain, I only use it when absolutely necessary. Now come on, we have some digging to do"

"It's late here, surely no one will be around?"

"Exactly. We're going to break in and check the Professors research . Then we'll talk to him tomorrow. Any differences in the story and we know he's up to something"

"This is not your first time breaking and entering, is it?"

"No. I learned from the best though"

They headed down the grassy bank toward the college. There was a sign detailing each of the individual schools within the University. She located the one that the Professor worked in, and headed toward it.

They were not alone. A short, balding man in his late forties wearing a security guard uniform approached them from across the way.

"'S'cuse me Miss, what are you doing out here?" He spoke in a broad London accent.

_Shit. Think, think._

"Looking for the SU Bar, you couldn't direct me could you?" She smiled, hoping that playing dumb would work.

"That's on the other side of Campus- take that path over there and keep going straight, it'll take you right there"

"Thank you" She smiled. She stood still a few minutes until he was a fair distance away.

"What is an SU Bar?" Cas asked when they were out of earshot.

"A horrible place you never want to go to. Popular with British students."

They hid behind the nearest building, waiting for the security guard to leave completely. When he did, they continued on their original course toward the school. She instinctively headed for the back exit, taking her trusty lock pick out of her pocket and putting it to use.

"You are your fathers daughter" Cas commented, watching how she undid the lock with ease, just like Dean would.

They headed inside. Fortunately the building was well signposted, even in the dark, and they found the professors office quickly. Once again she picked the lock before they headed as quietly as they could inside.

"What exactly are we looking for?"

"I'm not sure, anything from that research project of his I suppose. I'll start here, you check his desk"

Twenty minutes later, and she was in, to the professors laptop. Seemed he was a very modern researcher and had kept everything electronic. Either that or he was incredibly paranoid of people breaking in to his office and finding paper copies of his research.

"There are at least a hundred files here, no time to read now. " She muttered, transferring them to her pen drive and deleting all trace of having done so. "Lets go"

As quickly and quietly as they had entered, they left. They headed back up the path, toward the grassy bank where they'd landed.

"What now?"

"I guess we have to wait for morning. Let's go find somewhere to stay, and come back tomorrow"

A twenty minute cab ride later and they arrived at a country bed and breakfast. Fortunately she had some British Sterling on her from when Dean had sent her back. She paid the driver and they headed inside.

"Awfully late for a check in" The gruff woman behind the small reception desk spoke.

"Sorry, just got so caught up in seeing the sights" She smiled, again playing the dumb card and hoping it would work.

"Tourists at this time of year? Bit bloody weird if you ask me"

"Its his fault, bloody American. I told him it'd be freezing but he just insisted, didn't you?" She smiled, praying that Cas would play along,

"Yes, I was rather insistent" He replied, taking her hand.

"Got one room left, seventy five for the night"

"Done" She smiled, placing her Amex card on the desk. It had been designed by a friend of the family specifically to work in the past, when Dean had decided that was the best place for her. He didn't want her to worry about money when she would be struggling to adjust to a new time.

"Here you are" She spoke, practically throwing the key at her. "Up the stairs, third door on your right"

"Thanks"

As they headed upstairs, she was acutely aware that he was still holding her hand, and that she had no intention of letting go. She placed the key in the lock, and opened the door. The room was less dingy than she'd expected, clean almost. There was even a view. She was too tired to take it in though, and promptly laid down on the bed, still holding his hand, forcing him to lie with her.

As they lay there, she thought of a million different things she might say to him. But none of them seemed right, or necessary. Cas drew himself closer to her. For a second, he debated stroking her hair again. Instead, he found himself placing an arm around her. He was cautious in doing so, relaxing only when he realised she wasn't protesting.

He'd only known her for a few days, but something about her entranced him. She made him feel like he could do this, being human. He could adjust to being mortal, understanding feelings and emotions. She understood instinctively how he felt, and only ever tried to make him feel better. Her speech about how she wanted him to focus on finding himself, his humanity…. totally selfless. As inexperienced as he was in matters of the heart, he knew that it must be difficult for her to be around him, he must be a stranger to her in this timeline. They had met sometime after the fall when he'd made the adjustment. Now she had to deal with the aftermath of his fall from Heaven, and being stuck in a time so far from her own.

He could only ever hope to be as strong as she was.


	6. Chapter 6

_Flashback_

"Is this some kind of sick joke?" Dean shouted upon hearing the news that his best friend, and fallen angel, was in love with his daughter.

"No Dean, it's not. I love her" Cas replied.

"You can't love her! She's my daughter for Christs sake Cas, my daughter! We've been friends for over twenty years, she wasn't even a thought in my head when we first met Cas! Can't you see how this is messed up?"

"I understand it's not exactly conventional"

"A fallen angel and a Hunters daughter- not conventional doesn't even cut it! She's twenty five, your like…ancient! Just because you don't age Cas, doesn't mean you can run away from who you are, what you were!"

"I know Dean, I know. At first, that was my argument too. But then, well, It…. Just didn't seem to matter."

"Well it matters to me. My best friend, for over twenty years, is now gonna be my son in law? How can that be right?"

"Because I love her Dean. And she loves all that matters, in the end."

"Screw this I need a drink" He replied, heading out to the living room. He poured himself a Whisky and promptly downed it, before pouring another.

"You can at least pour one for me, it'll be like our first date"

He turned, his wife was stood in the doorway. She'd no doubt try and talk him round to the situation.

"Minus the demons" he smiled, pouring her a shot and handing it to her.

"Indeed." She smiled.

"So… I guess you're here to tell me I'm being an idiot"

"Not at all. I get it. You're being protective Dad."

"But…?"

"You're also standing in the way of Celeste's happiness, which you swore never to do"

"She could be happy with someone else, someone her age"

"Is that what this is about? Or is it the fact that he's you best friend? Or the fact he was an angel?" She smiled.

"All of the above"

"You have to put all of those things aside Dean. She loves him, anyone can see that. And he loves her. We know Cas is a good guy, and he makes her happy. What more could we want for her?"

He looked at her. She was the only one who could penetrate his hunter exterior and stubbornness to pull on his heart strings. That's why he married her. He knew she was right, but it was still hard for him to admit it. He took her hand and led them back to the kitchen where Cas and Celeste were sat looking extremely pensive.

"Ok" was all he could muster right now. But it was enough. Celeste ran over and hugged him.

"Thank you" she practically whispered.

As she stepped away, Cas stepped in for the obligatory Winchester man hug.

"You hurt her, I will kill you"

"I know" Cas replied, stepping back and taking her hand.

As Cas and Celeste walked toward the garden, Dean hoped he'd made the right choice.


	7. Chapter 7

"I knew you'd come" Was the professor's response when she and Cas had knocked on the very same door they'd broken in through the previous night. "Please, come in" He continued, opening the door fully.

She sat down on the worn, oxblood chesterfield sofa that was opposite his desk. The professor perched on the front of the desk, inspecting her with the sort of look you'd see on a child's face at the Zoo.

"So, you've come quite a way to see me, defied the laws of physics as we currently understand them. Then again, you and I both know that all things are possible, don't we? Monsters in the night, Angels in the sky, or at least at one time"

"Why are you researching these symbols? And how do you even know about them? And how do you…."

"It's my job to know these things. I don't know nearly enough though, hence the research."

She pushed up her sleeve, which immediately drew the professor over. As he examined her arm, Cas kept a close eye on him. He did not like the thought of him touching her in any way, and was a little surprised by his reaction to it. She wasn't his, she wasn't a possession but every second that the professor held her arm made Cas deeply uncomfortable and he was glad when he let go.

"What does it mean?"

"Heaven, Earth and Hell- balanced."

"So demons on lockdown…."

"…. And angels in heaven, where they should be." He continued. "Of course… when I say in Heaven, I mean permanently. No more wondering the earth asking poor souls to say yes to them. "

She could've sworn, that even for a split second, her heart stopped.

Heaven… on lockdown?

That was not her idea of balance. That was her idea of well, Hell.

"_You know what'll happen, right?"_

Deans words echoed in her ears. She thought he just meant Cas would be an angel again, not that he'd be an angel stuck in Heaven never able to be with her. She knew that was incredibly selfish, but she didn't care.

"You see, that's how it was designed. Can't lock the gates of Hell without locking those of Heaven. That's why they wrote two tablets, or so the myth goes."

She and Cas looked at each other knowing full well it wasn't a myth, and that what he was saying made sense in a strange way.

"What happens if say, they remained unlocked?" She questioned.

"Hell on Earth, literally. Demons wondering the Earth looking for wretched body's to inhabit and Angels without purpose intent on finding a way back, no matter the cost, no matter the death."

Truth was, she didn't need to ask the question.

She knew the outcome- an unholy war between Angels and Demons. The war her family had tried to shield her from by sending her away to school. She knew though. She knew when she came home and saw the loads of blood soaked laundry waiting to be washed. She knew when she saw the black wing scorch marks of a fallen angel, or the soulless black eyes of a demon in someone she once knew. She'd kept quiet about it in this timeline after all, there was nothing that could be done. Or so she thought.

"What about the rest of these symbols?"

"They are the instructions, so to speak, for restoring the balance. Sadly I've yet to translate them so I'm afraid I can't help you. Truth be told, I'm not sure I could decipher them in time."

"What do you…." She began.

In that very same second, Azrael appeared and stabbed the professor through the gut from behind, and proceeded to run the blade upwards to his heart. Blood poured from the wound, staining the carpet as it ran off the coffee table.

As his body fell to the floor, lifeless and bloody, She wanted to scream but knew it was a bad idea. Her breathing was rapid as panic set in. Her last chance at figuring it out was dead.

"You two are just as disgusting here as you are then" He spoke, running his finger down the bloody blade.

"I don't get you Azrael. You want me to figure it out, then you kill the one guy who can help me?"

"I'm a demon, I like killing things. What can I say?"

"You can't possibly want me to lock the gates of Hell, you have far too much fun topside murdering innocent people and torturing me. So tell me, what is it you really want?"

"This" He sneered, grabbing her and tearing her sweater open. He used his talon like nails to scratch a circle around another symbol located just under her collar bone, causing her to grit her teeth hard to avoid screaming, before disappearing again. She looked down, he'd cut pretty deep into her flesh and blood ran down from the wound.

Cas placed his arms around her and recited the earlier incantation word for word, hoping it would take them home.

And it did.

"Celeste! Cas!" Dean spoke, hurrying over to the kitchen where they'd both just appeared from nowhere.

"You said you'd be gone three days!"

"Job finished early! Never mind that how the hell did you two just appear in the kitchen?"

"Demon trick."

Dean looked at him, confused by the whole situation. There was no time to dwell though as he realised she was injured. He grabbed the first aid kit and cleaned the wound as best he could, but he was almost certain it would scar.

"What happened?"

"Azrael. He killed the Professor after he finished explaining it all to me. Then… he said something about that symbol, the one he scratched around, being the one he wanted or something…. Then he left, as per usual"

Sam, Dean and Cas all looked at the symbol. It was similar to the other, except the two pentacles were side by side, not on top of one another.

"Here" She said, pulling the pen drive out of her pocket. "It's his research, there might be something on there about… this"

Sam took it from her and put in the laptop.

"I'm going to go and take a shower, let me know if you find anything- Ok?"

She walked toward the bathroom, aware that a headache had now set in which together with the stinging on her arm was making her feel like crap. She closed the door and undressed, before turning briefly to the mirror. It was the only time she could ever see her markings in full and even though she hid them from the world, every now and again she wanted to see them. She turned back to the shower and turned the temperature gauge round until it was sufficiently hot. The water made the stinging worse, but it made her head feel better. A few minutes later she stepped out, wrapped herself and her hair in a towel and headed to her room.

"Jesus Cas you scared the life out of me!" She half shouted upon entering her room and seeing Cas on her bed. She'd been a little lost in thought on the brief walk from the bathroom and hadn't anticipated he'd be in her room.

"Sorry, should I leave?" He replied.

"No, it's fine" She found herself replying, without really thinking. Back home, it would be absolutely fine for him to be in her room after a shower but now? Maybe she should have said no. Not that she could ever say anything other than yes to those eyes and that face. She took the towel off her hair and sat next to him, resting her head on his shoulder.

She needed him, needed his reassurance.

"Celeste" he began, shifting a little, forcing her to remove her head from his shoulder.

Oh God, was he about to reject her?

"Cas, I…"

She quickly realised rejection was the last thing on his mind when she looked at him, his head cocked slightly to the side and looking right at her. She knew she shouldn't, but she just couldn't resist anymore. She took his hand, lacing it with her own, letting him know it was ok. As they leaned in, kissing softly at first, then becoming more urgent, she had no regrets. As his hand tangled itself in her hair, drawing her closer she became aware that her towel had slipped but somehow, she didn't care. After all, Cas didn't have the awkward reaction to being naked that everyone else had. As their tongues explored each others mouth, she found herself more and more turned on to the point of drawing Cas down on top of her. She wanted him, every inch of him right now but she knew she'd be pushing things too far. So reluctantly, she broke of the kiss just before Cas's hand found its way to her thigh.

"Cas… I..I know I said…." She began, feeling the need to explain herself.

"Celeste I am not experienced in matters of the heart and human relationships. But I am beginning to understand, how I feel about you. I know I'm not the man you married, but I want to be with you, here and now."

She threw her arms around him. For the first time since she'd got here, she'd seen it.

A glimpse of the man she married.


	8. Chapter 8

Sams heart sunk, literally. He'd just finished reading the Professors research and now he knew everything.

And it wasn't good.

For the briefest second, he didn't want to tell Dean. Hell, he wished he hadn't read it, that he could forget it. But he couldn't, and Dean had to know.

"Dean, we gotta talk"

"Nothing good ever comes after that Sammy, ever. It's that bad huh?"

Sam knew it was, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. So he went straight into explaining mode.

"So this symbol " He began, pointing to the one that the demon had scratched around "depicts what we have now, gates of Hell open, demons free to come and go as they please and Angels with no Heaven to go to."

"Well no wonder he wants that." Dean replied, thinking back to what Celeste had said earlier. "But why did he want us to figure out the other symbol…. that means we can stop it? That's gotta be the last thing he wants? It doesn't make sense"

"Because of this" Sammy replied, pointing to a paragraph of text below the symbol illustrating balance.

"_The balance shall be restored by the redeemer, the human loved by the fallen whose love, and life must be willingly sacrificed to restore the balance_"

"He wanted us to know that the only way we can get rid of him, is by killing Celeste? That Son of a Bitch! He was playin' us this whole time! He wanted us to know that we can't stop it, that this is how It ends!" Dean shouted angrily.

"And he wanted us to find out in this timeline, because she hasn't been born yet. He's rubbing it in our face Dean. We're screwed."

"If she lives, the world is screwed. If she dies, the balance is restored….How can that be right? I cannot pick between my own kid and the fate of the world, I wont! I'm tired of choosing Sammy, between my own blood and the friggin world!"

"It's not your choice" She began.

They turned around to find her standing In the doorway.

"Whatever you heard, forget it" Dean spoke, getting up to grab himself a whisky.

"Forget it? Forget that my death is key to putting the world back together? Tell me, how the hell am I meant to forget that!"

"I recommend this" He replied, pushing a glass of Whisky toward her, which she promptly downed.

"Wow. Like Father like Daughter" Sam replied, pouring himself a shot.

As she lined herself up another shot, they both gave her a look.

"Yeah so I just found out I have to die, I need Whisky" she replied, grabbing the decanter and heading back to her room. Dean began to follow but was abruptly halted by Sam.

"Leave it Dean."

Dean wanted to protest with a quick witted comeback, before realising Sam was right. He should give her time to process. He grabbed the other decanter and promptly sat himself down on the couch. Whisky in large quantities did the job for most of the shit he needed to forget, but now, it was barely affecting him.

"Is that a bottle of Whisky?" Cas questioned as she re-entered the room.

"Yep. Just found out that I have to die to put the world back together and that if I don't, things are going to get seriously out of hand"

"There must be another way"

"No, this is it Cas. The Professors research was pretty clear. I have to sacrifice my love for you…"

She paused.

She hadn't meant to say that, out loud.

"You love me?" He asked in his perfectly sincere way.

What the Hell, she was going to die anyway.

"Yes. I know It's been like a week or whatever but it's just like it was when we met in my time Cas, I couldn't help myself then and I can't now. I love you"

"I love you too Celeste. I can't explain it, but I do. My love for you is the only part of my humanity that is clear to me."

As she looked at him, she realised she couldn't imagine life without him. Life without running her fingers through his perfect bed head hair, life without looking into his inky blue eyes. Life without that adorable look he had when he didn't quite get something. But she knew that was the future.

Life without him.

Life without Dean and Sam.

Death.

There was only one thing that she wanted now.

She placed her arms around his neck, drawing him to her. She kissed him long and hard, making sure to remember everything- the softness of his lips, the way he tasted. She let her hands wonder to his shoulders, where she began removing his coat. He pulled away for the briefest second, unsure this was the right thing, but quickly gave in to his newly human desires. She wanted to be gentle, it was technically his first time but she found she couldn't hold back.

As she climaxed, she swore never to forget this moment of pure happiness with her fallen angel.

She wished she could snuggle down and spend the night here, sleeping in his arms but she knew she couldn't. She waited, until she felt that familiar gentle breath on the back of her neck which she knew meant he was sound asleep. Then she waited for the closing of the boys bedroom doors.

Confident that everyone was now asleep, she crept slowly out of the room, closing the door as softly as she could.

She walked down the hall and through the main living area to the front door, again closing it as softly as possible.

It was a humid night, she felt positively warm in her short silk nightdress as she walked down the road, angel blade in hand. She felt an odd calmness from her decision. She was in control now. This was her choice.

She stopped.

This seemed as good a place as any to die.

She twirled the blade in her hands for a minute. She wouldn't wimp out. She had to do this. Her life had to be given up. It was time.

As the blade entered her, the world became a very different place.

The sky above seemed to be racing, whilst the ground stayed perfectly still. She could feel the warm blood pouring down her front, over her hands which were instinctively over the wound. Not that that would help, she was fated to die here, alone. For just a second, the sky shone bright and she knew Heaven had been restored. She then caught the briefest glimpse of the dark shadow made up of millions of twisted souls, all being driven underground where they belonged.

"It….worked" She mumbled.

"Indeed it did" Spoke another voice.

She looked up.

"Death" She spoke.

"Had to make this a personal visit, you being the redeemer and all."

She looked at him, unsure what to say in response.

"You gave it all up- your love for that bloody fallen angel, your life. The worlds back in order, but you… you got the raw end of the deal."

"I don't know, I hear Heavens nice this time of year." She replied.

"Humour as a tool of deflection, just like your father"

"I'm kind of dying here, shouldn't we be going…?"

"Eager aren't we?"

"It's inevitable"

"I disagree"

"If I live, the world goes back to being screwed"

"No. You died to save it. Going back doesn't undo that"

"But I'm supposed to die!"

"And they call me morbid. Yes, that's what was written but Death is my domain and I'm not ready for you yet Celeste."

"But Cas, he'll be in Heaven. I don't want to go back if he's not there!"

But it was too late.

"Celeste! Celeste!"

As she opened her eyes, she was met with the bright unflattering glare of a hospital room.

"Thank God, I thought you were dead. I can't believe you did that, what were you thinking?" Dean replied angrily.

"Cas, where's Cas?"

Sam and Dean looked at each other.

"He's gone. They're all gone…..as far as we can tell"

She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Death you bastard!" She screamed. "You should have let me die!"

"You don't mean that" Dean spoke.

"You don't get it- I love him Dean! I've loved him since the day I met him and I don't want a life without him because it's not a life!" She replied, tears running down her face.

"I think It would be best if you were to both leave" A nurse spoke, over hearing the commotion.

"Come on Dean" Sam said, ushering him outside.

As the door closed, she turned to face the window. It was a beautiful, sunny day to the rest of the world but to her, it was a dark day. She knew she had done the right thing, but nothing could have prepared her for the emptiness she would feel, knowing she'd never see him again. She cried for hours, until she couldn't cry another tear. Finally, she fell asleep through sheer exhaustion.


	9. Chapter 9

"_She did it. She actually did it." Dean remarked, looking out to the sky._

"_You never doubted her for a second, did you?" His wife spoke, taking a seat next to him on the porch swing._

"_No. But we need to get her back home now. "_

"_She's going to be hurting Dean" _

"_I know. But it's not like she would have met him in that timeline, she should have landed well out of the way of us three"_

"_I hope so but you know the translation wasn't perfect. There's a chance…."_

"_I don't want to think about that, not now. Lets just concentrate on getting her back"_

* * *

__"I want to go back"

"Why?"

"You know why"

"The redeemer"

"Celeste. Her name is Celeste"

"You would give up your grace, become human, again, for this girl?"

"Yes"

"The gates are locked Castiel. I'm not sure that removing your grace would return you to Earth. Such a thing has never been done."

"I am aware, but I must try to return."

"There is much work to be done here Castiel"

"I know, for you. As the humans would say, I have burned my bridges here. I cannot undo what I did, and I know for most it is unforgiveable. Even if I stayed here for a millennia, there are those who will never be able to forget. Being an angel was my life, once, but now, Celeste is my life."

"If that is your wish, I will allow it. But I make no guarantees"

"I understand"

As Castiels grace was cast out from him once again, his world darkened.

He could only hope that he made it back.

* * *

"_But I think he knows…That I've hardly slept…Since the night he left…His body always kept...Mine inside of it…Keep the nightmares out…Give me mouth to mouth...I can't live without ya... take me to your house…"_

She had had the song on repeat, for how long she had no idea.

As she lay there, thoughts of him flooded her mind. No matter how she tried to keep them out they always came back. A painful reminder of what she'd given up.

The world was back to its rightful state, people went about their lives not even knowing what she'd done. They would never know that thanks to her, they would never again be possessed, or worse, see someone they care about possessed. Thanks to her they would never see scorched angel wings, or have their idealistic notions of angels destroyed when they saw one ripping somebody's throat out. But she knew, though it did little to comfort her. She tried to get on with things, but it was proving harder than she'd imagined. Sam and Dean were concentrating on locating a spell to send her back, but she was starting to accept that she might never get back. She could only hope that future Dean, her dad, would know how to reverse whatever he had done to get her here.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden flash of light in the sky.

She jumped off of her bed and raced toward the window.

She didn't dare to hope.

"_Cas"_ she whispered.


	10. Chapter 10

She pushed the window wide open and hauled herself out. She began running across the field, keeping her eye firmly fixed on the fireball in the sky. Her lungs burned but she didn't care, she kept on going. Eventually it fell. She picked up the pace and headed straight for it. As she got closer she realised it had fallen down a grassy bank. She was going too fast to stop, and tumbled down the bank toward it. Eventually, she stopped.

"Bloody hell" she muttered rubbing her head which had grazed a large rock on the way down. No time to think about that now, as she turned over.

"Cas!" she screamed, realising that her hope was warranted.

On closer inspection she realised that she needed that hope more than ever. He was injured, badly. His trench coat was more blood red then the beige, his face, and hands covered in cuts and grazes. She called his name repeatedly, but he didn't answer. She became aware of a presence, they were not alone. As the temperature dropped, she shivered but remained defiant.

She turned, her breath catching in her throat as her suspicion was realised.

"You're not taking him" She spoke, cradling his lifeless body in her arms.

"You can see me?" The reaper spoke.

"Of course I can see you"

"But you shouldn't, I mean, I'm not here for you…."

"I'm the redeemer, the rules don't really apply."

"I see. Still, it is his time."

"I say it isn't" She replied, anger growing inside. She got to her feet and drew Cas's angel blade.

"If you kill me, another will come."

"This isn't for you. It's for me"

"But it's not your time"

"I decide when it's my time you son of a bitch. Now, If I do this I can undo everything I just did- open the gates on both sides. If you don't give him back to me, that's exactly what I'll do, I swear!"

"You wouldn't?"

"You don't get it, you're a reaper. I love him, and I refuse to watch him die, not like this. It's not his time, I don't care what you or anyone else says! He gave up his grace for a second time just to come back here, to me and you're telling me that it's his time to die?"

"Yes, I'm sorry"

"You get Death here now- or so help me, I'm opening the gates!"

"Even if I…." the repaer began, before realising his boss had made an appearance.

"… It's alright. Go, leave us" Death spoke. The reaper disappeared

"Give him back or…."

"… or you'll open the gates. I heard you the first time."

"What are you waiting for?"

"I think you're bluffing"

"Excuse me?"

"I don't think you can unseal the gates."

"Do you really want to find out?"

"Do you?"

"Just give him back to me, and you'll never hear from me again"

"Tempting, but no"

"Why?"

"Because Celeste, it's meant to happen this way"

"Screw you Death- nothing happens without your say so!"

"So eloquent, just like your father."

"I wont ask again- give him back to me!"

His face softened a little.

"On one condition"

"Name it"

"You owe me a favour that I can utilise at any given time. Failure to do what I want will mean instant death for Cas"

"Done!"

And he was gone.

She turned back to Cas.

"Cas!" she shouted.

"Celeste" he began. "Where are we?"

"The field by the bunker!" She smiled, grabbing him and holding on tightly.

"That is painful" he protested.

"Sorry, it's just I thought I'd never see you again… I thought…"

"The gates are sealed. It seems one can only pass through if they willingly surrender their grace"

She leaned in and kissed him, the familiar softness of his lips, the way he tasted… exactly as she had sworn to remember that fateful night. As his hands reached up to cup her face she was so overwhelmed with relief she thought she might cry, but she was determined not to.

"I love you"

"I love you Celeste"

As she looked at him, she realised something. He was her life now, here and now. She knew the brothers and her mum and dad would all be looking for a way to send her home now, but she was already home, with Cas. Here.

"I can't go back Cas. I'm in love with you, the you that is here… in this time. I don't even know what would happen if I went back, what if you weren't there? I couldn't bare it. I want to stay, with you- here"

"You have to go back, you aren't meant for this timeline. If I am here, then surely I will be there too?"

"But not like this, this is perfect"

"But your father will surely find a way to bring you back?"

"Not if we find it first, and destroy it"

"They'd be heartbroken Celeste"

She drew a deep breath. He wasn't wrong, but still.

"They sent me here without having a sure fire way to bring me back. In some part of their mind, they always knew my being here forever could happen"

"I don't think that will offer much comfort"

"I know. But I've done what I was sent here to do. It's my decision what happens next" She spoke resolutely.

"You would give that up, for me?"

"Yes, just like you gave up your grace for me"

"I am not sure Sam and Dean will approve"

"Lets worry about that later. Right now, we need to get you back to the bunker. Do you think you can walk?"

She helped him to his feet, slowly. As they walked back toward the bunker she knew he was right about Sam and Dean. She only hoped she could convince them.


End file.
